Searching For A Car With A Clean Title? Patented!

from the oh,-come-on dept

Tue, Jun 12th 2007 3:27pm — Mike Masnick

If you thought that the Supreme Court's Teleflex decision would have the Patent Office be a little more careful about awarding really obvious patents, apparently you'd be wrong. The EFF is highlighting a patent approved last week by the office. The patent was file by Carfax, and it basically describes the key element of Carfax's business: searching a database of used cars for ones with a clean title. Yes, that very thing is now patented. No, there's nothing even remotely new here. Basically, it's just a typical database search, but one that includes a flag for "clean title." Does this mean that any kind of specialty search is now patentable? With the recent news that location-based searches are patented as well, I imagine lots of other types of searches won't be far behind.

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19 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2007 @ 3:37pm

Why not?
If you thought that the Supreme Court's Teleflex decision would have the Patent Office be a little more careful about awarding really obvious patents, apparently you'd be wrong.
Why should anyone at the patent office care if they issue bogus patents? It's not like any downside to it for them if they do. As I understand it, patent examiners even have legal protection from ever being sued for approving bogus patents. I wish I enjoyed such blanket immunity for my actions.
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What?, 12 Jun 2007 @ 4:04pm

Ebay sued for "Buy it Now"?!
I'd like to see a column on this please:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19195883/

I don't understand how you can patent the "Buy it Now" feature. This is such garbage.
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2007 @ 4:11pm

I just patented a search for "donkey porn"

Start sending me checks Mike!
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2007 @ 5:03pm

Re: Why not?
get a government job then
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Joe Smith, 12 Jun 2007 @ 5:13pm

Re: Ebay sued for "Buy it Now"?!
I think if you search the web, you will find lots of discussion of the eBay case. You should know that the case went to trial, eBay lost and now while MercExchange is in Federal Court trying to shut part of eBay down, the US Patent Office is working on cancelling the patent. Unfortunately for eBay, the law says that the patent is valid until the final appeal of any Patent Office cancellation decision. This is the same position that RIM found itself in last year and because that Judge made it clear he was not going to delay giving an injunction RIM wound up paying $612.5 Million for patents the Patent Office had said were invalid.
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2007 @ 5:35pm

I'm patenting the search for "google". Yes I know this post is a waste of energy.
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Mike (profile), 12 Jun 2007 @ 5:39pm

Re: Ebay sued for "Buy it Now"?!
I'd like to see a column on this please: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19195883/

We've covered that case in plenty of detail. This is nothing new right now. Just waiting for the decision. Once that comes out, we'll see if it's worth commenting on.
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LandofIdiots, 12 Jun 2007 @ 5:44pm

My billion dollar plan!
I think I'll patent the circle! Everything made that is round will owe me $$! All those tires out there on cars, my idea! LOL

Sometimes I fear for the species...
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Charles Griswold, 12 Jun 2007 @ 5:47pm

I'll Be Rich!
I'm gonna patent the process of patent trolling. I'll sue all of the patent trolls and be filthy stinkin' rich!
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Joe Smith, 12 Jun 2007 @ 6:22pm

Re: I'll Be Rich!
I'm gonna patent the process of patent trolling.

Edward Teach had prior art...
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Pimp, 12 Jun 2007 @ 7:04pm

My search patent
Be warned, I have filed a patent for location searching of my ho houses and "deluxe" massage parlors. Bring on your $$$.
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2007 @ 7:23pm

Re: My billion dollar plan!
I think someone in Australia already patented the wheel.
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PhysicsGuy, 12 Jun 2007 @ 7:40pm

Re: Re: My billion dollar plan!
actually, i just filed a patent for a "torque driven cylindrical object attached, and configured with any number of objects, to any kind of moving, holding, or carrying device in which the coefficient of friction between said device and any surface area is great enough in which the rotational force acting against the friction causes the moving, holding, or carrying to device to undergo rectilinear displacement."
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Jun 2007 @ 7:58pm

Re: Re: Re: My billion dollar plan!
Sounds like you filed for something similar to my already patented hexagonal rotational surface compression device.
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Joe Smith, 12 Jun 2007 @ 10:40pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: My billion dollar plan!
Sounds like you filed for something similar to my already patented hexagonal rotational surface compression device.

You'll probably get him under the doctrine of equivalents.
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Charles Griswold, 12 Jun 2007 @ 10:58pm

Re: Re: Re: My billion dollar plan!
I've patented "a rapid, persistent exothermic oxidation of a combustible substance that releases heat and light and is accompanied by flame and sometimes smoke".
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Ajax 4Hire, 13 Jun 2007 @ 6:42am

And for my next patent,
searching the drawers for a clean pair of underwear!
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random lurker, 13 Jun 2007 @ 8:29am

Hope for people with bad google records
Now they can just patent searches for their names and sue prospective employers as needed. What a great system.
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GoblinJuice, 13 Jun 2007 @ 2:43pm

o_O
Patent system broken.

It seems like there's another USPTO story every day.

My head hurts.

So, who gets to play savior in this techmelodrama?
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